Is Wilfred a hallucination? A projection of wild imagination? Or perhaps a symptom of mental illness?

Star and co-creator of the US sitcom Wilfred, Jason Gann, has revealed that he will use the fourth and final season to explain the mystery behind the eponymous talking-dog character that has befuddled fans since the beginning.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Australian actor, who also dons the Wilfred dog-costume, has promised that “some bold decisions” have been made and fans will be “satisfied” by the time the show’s season finale airs in America in August.

“If someone has been frustrated, going ‘We're not getting enough answers,’ I think they will be satisfied where we take it. I don't know if it will make them feel happy, but they will feel satisfied,” he said.

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Based on Gann’s Australian series of the same name, Wilfred explores the odd relationship between Ryan, a deeply depressed man, and his neighbour’s talking dog Wilfred, who he sees in a comically anthropomorphised form as a man-in-a-dog-suit. To everyone else, Wilfred is your run-of-the-mill mutt.

Until now, viewers have been left in the dark as to why Ryan is the only person who can see and hear Wilfred - a foul-mouthed, irascible and an altogether terrible pet - as a human-dog hybrid.

Starring Elijah Wood as Ryan and series co-creator Jason Gann as Wilfred, the buddy duo have pushed the boundaries of the notion of “man’s best friend” with three seasons of pot-fueled shenanigans and misadventures.

The series has been a critical success for the FX Network and is lauded as the network’s highest-ranking debut sitcom ever. While the show maintained a cult-status across three seasons, it was announced in October last year that the show’s fourth season would be its last.

Created by Gann and fellow Australian comedian Adam Zwar, the original Australian series of Wilfred was adapted from the duo’s 2002 Tropfest winning film. It aired for two seasons on SBS, where it picked up three AFI Awards.

3 comments

Wilfred for Prime Minister!

Go on, you know you want to.............

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Truthy

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June 26, 2014, 12:33PM

I suppose this is the final americanisation of this classic aussie series. Why does American TV always have to show or explain everything so explicitly? Ambiguity must always be defined, metaphors always have to be explained... If it's not slapping you in the face with whatever it's trying to do or say it ain't good TV